Theme of LotR according to JRRT

[Wayfarer]

But you ignore the fact that tolkiens /favorite/ story- the story of Beren and Luthien- was based on his love for his wife. Only the foolish would interpret Sam and Frodo's friendship as you have suggested.

Now take your flamebait elsewhere.

[WhackoJacko]

only the bigoted would see it otherwise lol

[Rían]

Can you provide a reference for your opinion, WhackoJacko? Perhaps in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien --- NOT ?

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Here's a slightly different view on the themes thing, but I hope it will add to the whole picture -

Was anyone else as interested as I was to read the parts where Tolkien says how LoTR 'wrote itself'?

From #92 -

"It will probably work out very differently from this plan when it really gets written, as the thing seems to write itself once I get going, as if the truth comes out then, only imperfectly glimpsed in the preliminary sketch..."

From #163 (footnote) -

"I daresay something had been going on in the 'unconscious' for some time, and that accounts for my feeling throughout, especially when stuck, that I was not inventing but reporting (imperfectly) and had at times to wait till 'what really happened' came through."

From #180 -

"I have long ceased to invent ... I wait till I seem to know what really happened. Or till it writes itself."

And I absolutely love his description of how Faramir came along:
From #66 -

"A new character has come on the scene (I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking into the woods of Ithilien): Faramir, the brother of Boromir - and he is holding up the 'catastrophe' by a lot of stuff about the history of Gondor and Rohan (with some very sound reflections no doubt on martial glory and true glory): but if he goes on much more a lot of him will have to be removed to the appendicies...."

I can just picture Tolkien 'saying' to Faramir - "NOW are you done?!?!"

[markedel]

You sound like some English profs I know of.